This afternoon a bear was tranquilized in downtown Vancouver after hitching a ride into town on a garbage truck. Reports and photos have been pouring in across all social and traditional media outlets including a set of images from the Vancouver Public Library.

CBC News says that the truck was stopped near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the area of Georgia and Cambie.

From The Province: “It’s a yearling, probably one or two years old,” said Desjardins, who tranquilized the youngster. “The driver had made a pickup on the North Shore, and he came downtown for another pickup.”

From CTV News: “The police just patted its back and coaxed it down,” said Karyn MacDonald, who arrived at the scene shortly after the animal was spotted. “I can’t believe they just pet it.”

Bear sightings in Vancouver are about as rare as they come but they weren’t that uncommon in the city’s early days. In fact, several families even had black bears as pets.

Onlookers and those hearing the story are concerned about the future of today’s urban bear. We don’t yet know what that is just yet but he’s currently being removed from the location while sedated. According to CTV News and a witness, the bear will be released back into the wild. The Province confirms this with a quote from Conservation Officer Desjardins: “He’s going to be translocated, most likely to the Squamish Valley.”

3 comments

Too funny – that “little girl” is actually my great-uncle Kenelm Quiney. That picture was taken by his father James Quiney. My grandmother used to tell me stories of that bear cub they played with as a child.

Miss604 Proudly Sponsors & Supports

Current Contests

Enter here to win passes to see Entanglement at VIFF (until September 27)

Enter here to win Oktoberfest tickets and a prize package (until September 28)

Enter here to win tickets to the VIFF Closing Gala Film and Party (until October 5)

View a complete list of contests »

*All contests are open to residents of Canada only, unless otherwise stated. Contest timelines are published on each individual post along with entry methods. Some contests may only be open to those 19 years of age and older. Winners are announced on the contest blog posts. Contest policy »